Chaeles m



(No Model.)

0. M. ERWIN.

SAFETY FLANGE FOR RAILROAD RAILS.

No. 384,435. PatefitedJune12,1888.

INVENTOR if BYZJCLW ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

CHARLES M. ERWIN, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNEiASSIGNMENTS, OF ONE-HALF TO J. M. WATT AND MADISON WHIPPLE, BOTH OFWASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

SAFETY-FLANGE FOR RAILROAD-RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 384,435, dated June 12,1888.

Application filed December 19, 1887. Serial No. 258,354. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES M. ERWIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State ofAlabama,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety- Flanges forRailroad-Rails; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin lo the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figuresof reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an improved safetyflange for application torailroad-rails for the purpose of preventing the wheels of locomo tiveand car trucks jumping the track.

My improved flange is adapted for use with ordinary railroad-rails; andit consists of a plate of metal, as iron or steel,of curved form at itslower portion to permit of itssnugly fitting the crown and side of therail, and having an outwardly and upwardly curved top portion extendingabove the rail and a short distance horizontally beyond and parallelwith the top of the crown thereof. The flange is formed in sections ofsuitable length, which are bolted to the rail, so as to break joints otherewith, by which means the employment of fish-bars is dispensed with,though such may be used, if desired. It is preferred that eachrail-section have punched therein a larger number of bolt-holes than isnow customary 3 5 as, for instance, about eight holes-and acorresponding number of bolt-holes formed in each length or section ofthe safetyflange through which bolts may be passed to secure the flangeand rail together; but the number '40 of such bolts-holes may be variedas desired.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view ofa section of a railroad-rail with my improved wheel-guard orsafetyflange attached thereto. Fig. 2 rep- 5 resents a similar view taken inthe direction of the arrow in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a perspectiveview of a portion of a rail with my flange connected thereto and withfish-bars in position thereon.

1 represents a railroad-rail of ordinary construction.

2 represents my combined fish-bar and wheelguard or safety-flange. Thisflange may be formed of any suitable metal, such as of iron or steel.Iron would answer, as the flange would be subjected to but little wear,and a flange formed of iron would outlast two rails. The flange is, atits lower portion and throughout its length,formed with aninwardly-curved portion, 3, which, when in position, snugly fits againstand within the curved sides 4 of the rail,and an outwardly-curvedportion,5,whicl1 abuts against and snugly fits the crown of the rail.From the point5 the flange or guard plate extends in the form of anoutward and upward curve, 7 ,terminatingin asubstantially straight, ornearly straight, vertical portion, 8, which extends about four inchesabove the level or crown of the rail. The horizontal extent of thecurvature 7 is about an inch, in order that When in position on a rail aplay of one inch may be allowed between the wheels of a train and theupwardly-extending portion of the flange to allow for the free passageof the wheels around curves, and also admit of the wheels rocking oroscillating to a slight extent without coming in contact with andstraining the upwardly-extending portion 8.

It will be observed that the horizontal portion of the flange extendsoutward inline with and is flush and parallel with the top of the crownof the rail instead of below the same, as has heretofore been suggested.By constructing the flange so that the horizontal portion thereof shallbe parallel with the top of the crown of the rail it, in effect,constitutes a sidewise extension thereof and obviates all possibility ofthe wheels leaving the horizontal line, as would be the case were saidhorizontal part of the flange below the top of the crown of the rail.

It is preferred, though not absolutely essential, that each length-orsection of the rail 1 be drilled or punched with, say, about eightboltholes 9as, for instance, two adjacent to each end and four at aboutthe center-though the number of such holes may be varied, correspondingholes, 10, being formed in the lower portion of the flange, throughwhich the customary bolts, 11, are passed to secure the rail and flangetogether.

As represented in the drawings, the lengths or sections of the flangeare so arranged and bolted to the rail as to break joints therewith,whereby the use offish-barsis entirely avoided, and the rails morefirmly held and rigidly connected together than when fish-bars alone areemployed. By the use of my safetyfiange rails of less weight than iscustomary may be advantageously employed, as said flange materiallyincreases their rigidity. Therefore myimproved wheel-guard orsafetyflangc can, by reason of the possibility of using in connectiontherewith rails of less weight than is customary, and by reason offish-bars being unnecessary, be attached to rails and employed withoutmaterially, if at all, increasing the cost of the track.

12 represents holes in the rail-flange, through which spikes may bepassed to connect the rail to the cross-tics; but such holes may beomitted and the rails otherwise secured to the ties.

By the application of my safety-flange to rails as above describedtrains may safely travel even around curves at a very high rate of speedwithout danger of derailment, as by my arrangement it will be utterlyimpossible for a train to leave the track, because the mo ment a wheelattempts to mount the rail and before the opposite wheel can leave itsrail the outer face of the mounting wheel will come in contact with thesafety-flange and be thrown back to its place again.

Another advantage and saving secured by my invention is that after arail has begun to wear on the inside it can be reversed and the unwornside turned in, thus almost doubling the wearing capacity of the rail.

\Vhere it may not be desired to replace old rails by new ones with anincreased number of bolt-holes therein, or where it is desired to cmploymy safety-flange and yet not to punch more holes in the rail, I take 011the fish-bars 13, place the safety-flange in position against the rail,as before mentioned, and then replace the fish bars, as represented inFig. 3 of the drawings. By this arrangement, as shown in Fig. 3, thesafety-flange can be very cheaply and readily applied to rails alreadyin use and without disturbing the tralfic.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isy l. The combinationof a railroadrail having a plurality of bolt-holes extendingtransversely through the sides thereof adjacent to the respective endsof each railsoction or length, the wheel-guard or safety-flange hereindescribed having a curved lower portion adapt ed to fit the sides andcrown of said rail, a horizontally-curved upper portion in line with thetop of the crown of therail, an upwardlyextending flange to receive theimpact of the wheel and guide and retain the same in posi tion upon therail, and a series of bolt-holes in the side thereof corresponding in numberand registering with the bolt-holes in the rail, and a series ofbolts and nuts connecting said flange and rail together, substantiallyas set forth.

2. The wheel-guard or safetyfiangc herein described havinga curved lowerportion adapted to fit the sides and crown of a railroad-rail and ahorizontally-curved upper portion in line with the top of the crown ofthe rail, and an upwardly-extending flange to receive the impact of thewheel and guide and retain the same in position upon the rail,substantially as set forth.

3. In combination with a railroad-rail, the

safety'flange herein described having a curved lower portion adapted tofit the side and crown of the rail and an outwardly and upwardlyextending top portion, the respective lengths of said flange beingconnected to the rail so as to break joints therewith,substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES M. ERXVIN.

Witnesses:

W. J. BARNARD, D. T. Masters.

